Fern
by Her Head In the Clouds
Summary: As Raven discovers, Robin doesn't just try to save the lives of people. He has a soft spot for other living things too... Raven-centric drabble.


It's been so long you know :) Haha enjoy! I think this is my last Teen Titans fic for a while guys, sorry. :( I have other fandoms I need to return to.

NOTICE: I posted this in October 2011 but after piecing this fic together I realized I could throw it in and save the space… more secrets revealed you know? ;) And thanks to you, Roth-Grayson Kydd who reviewed that story and told me you liked it. Much love! :) & LOL to tan lines too!

Disclaimer: Me no own haha.

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_**Fern**_

_**October 12, 2011  
Edit: August 10, 2012**_

_**by: Her Head in the Clouds**_

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**O**n a seemingly good day, where the bad guys took a break and Robin was in a good mood, Raven took this equation:

_( Cyborg + Beast Boy + Robin ) + ( innocent game of catch in the living room ) – ( Starfire talking Silkie for a walk ) + ( a bored Azurathian with nothing better to do )_

And what did she get….?

~x~

SCHWUMP!

_"Ohh...!" Raven said slowly as they watched the ball sail towards the potted plant and it landed right on top of it. The heavy ball sunk onto the green fern's many uplifted leaves and it was all the two boys could do as they watched Robin bound for plant and take out the ball, gingerly in his hands._

_When Robin tossed the ball back to Cyborg, he caught it in his hands and smiled shyly._

_"Sorry, buddy," he told the Boy Wonder as the leader went instantly into investigator mode and looked at the plant for injuries._

_"Yeah," Beast Boy chimed, taking a step forward rubbing his head embarrassingly. "You know we didn't mean for that to happen."_

_Raven, who was still sitting on the couch, rolled her eyes. What did he mean by 'we'? As if Cyborg was the one who threw the ball so hard. But Robin chuckled lightly and looked at them with a smile._

_"It's okay guys," he said trying to reassure their uneasiness. Sure he obsessed over certain things but a plant wasn't one of them. "But gimme a sec, I'm gonna perform a prognosis."_

_Cyborg shook his head with a smile and pulled Beast Boy with him to the door._

_"Wanna pick this up outside?" the robot asked._

_"Yeah, see you out there," he called as he looked onto broken leaves. And the two made a dash for the roof while Raven hadn't moved an inch._

~x~

As Robin took off his gloves, Raven watched surprised.

His hands moved slowly and rhythmically, with an untrained grace of gentleness. He stroked the green softly, rubbing the pads of his fingertips over its smooth surface. Then he would cup the stem slightly in his palm and narrow his eyes as he set his sharp gaze onto its broken creases.

It was in that moment, as Raven watched him, that Robin had a soft spot for plants.

No boy his age could possibly put that much attention onto a fern; if Beast Boy had been the one to hit the plant with ball _(oh wait, yeah it was him!)_ and broke its leaves, he would've reached for the ball, poked the plant a little and completely forget about it the rest of the day. Cyborg probably would be no different, except to maybe finger it a little and say, "Sorry", before moving on with life.

But Robin was different. He prodded the plant, examined it, and did it without his gloves – something that stuck with Raven in a way she didn't think could.

Maybe because she thought less of him, if she was being completely honest. Raven didn't think that for all his hard exteriors, boyish charm and attitude, that maybe he was a softie when it came to certain things. Starfire was no exception – anyone could see how his face softened when he was with her. But, this was almost different; the plants brought him… peace, not comfort.

He had his calm around his face that Raven could sense, an inner peace that bubbled beneath his furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips – plants brought him quiet, at least this fern did. Where did it come from anyway? She vaguely remembered the Boy Blunder coming home one night with it in his hands and him saying, "Oh, I figured it'd be nice to have a plant. You know to, just, have around." How simple a response that was, but how meaningful it meant.

Raven vaguely wondered if that was the same peace she felt when she meditated. She doubted it, but maybe it was close enough.

Robin didn't say a word as he continued to touch the plant; he even went as far to poke to soil to see if it was dry and needed water. Not that it would, Starfire had watered it earlier that morning. And Raven didn't say a word as she continued to watch his hands move over the plant.

With a raise of her eyebrow, she noted how a strange tan line ran on his forearms to mark the start and end of where his gloves reached. When he wasn't in the sun, Robin's skin could get pretty pale. She looked at his arm hair and was surprised to know she was glad he wasn't hairy. She stared at his red knuckles and remembered that he had just come from the gym. Then she found herself staring at his fingernails – at least he wasn't like Beast Boy and owned a clipper. It was all these little things about Robin that Raven didn't need to know, but now made her glad that she did.

And it wasn't to say that she was intimately aroused or turned on by this in any way – he was nursing a broken plant for goodness sake; and wasn't she the most observant member of the team? Put those together, and it was just good timing that's all.

So why is it that Raven can't seem to look away as her leader is having an innocent moment to himself, and she's trying everything to stop the growing heat to her cheeks and small smile on her face?

Then again, Robin does have pretty large hands. And he just proved to her that he can be as tender as he wants.

When he couldn't stand the feeling of being watched anymore, Robin turned his head at Raven and gave her a small smile.

"What?" he asked innocently, amused by her curious face. When Raven blinked her eyes off his ungloved hands, she looked up into his mask and for the first time all day, gave him the only genuine smile she had.

"Nothing," she answered plain and simple.

And Robin, who knew more than he ever really let on, laughed lightly and went back to touching the fern again. A knowing smile was still stuck on his face.

x~x

So after all that, what did Raven get from her equation?

Simple. A small shake of her head and a silent, '_Why me?'_

But hey, she's Raven. And like Robin, she's got her soft spots too.

END.

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_~ I hope you liked. Don't forget to leave me a review. Stay gold._

_Much love, Abby~_


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